PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Kidphilly

http://thetriangle.org/news/construction-innovation-neighborhood-begin/

Interesting

Very interesting indeed! Construction in two weeks?! On what?! Now that will be interesting to see. Bulletin building? New building at 30th and JFK/30th and Market? Redevelopment of the lowrise at 32nd and Market? Redevelopment of the Firestone site? New building on the parking lot at 30th and Chestnut? Tell us!!!!!

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by el don

My team had a meeting recently with some of the higher ups of Drexel.

Few updates:
Drexel is in talks with some big international firms, as well as amtrak, the city etc. about capping the rail yards. 30 to 40 year master plan.

Drexel's bid won for the high school. A school for the neighborhood is definitely going there, other aspects like commercial, if any are being worked out still.

190 room hotel with conference/meeting space, just approved for the 33/34 chestnut site by the board.

Thanks for the updates! Excited for the hotel to replace that lowrise at 33rd and Chestnut. Still have a huge surface lot behind that though which I don't think the hotel would build over, and another street of surface parking next to the parking garage at 34th and Chestnut which I think Penn owns.

[Kidphilly]

On the other Summer speculation - on further thought maybe the PREIT and KMART news earlier is more about a potential build out on ME

But I have to believe no one is building something this grand without a potential tenant suitor so-to-speak - hmmm guess we will have to wait and see

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Kidphilly

On the other Summer speculation - on further thought maybe the PREIT and KMART news earlier is more about a potential build out on ME

But I have to believe no one is building something this grand without a potential tenant suitor so-to-speak - hmmm guess we will have to wait and see

My BEST GUESS would be Subaru North America. They're in the market for like 250,000 sq feet of office space, but last I heard they were looking either in the Navy Yard or staying in South Jersey. Could be a bunch of different companies. There are a bunch of firms currently shopping the market for space. Maybe someone was finally smart enough to pull them all together for new office space construction in a currently restrained market for large floor plates.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Thanks for the updates! Excited for the hotel to replace that lowrise at 33rd and Chestnut. Still have a huge surface lot behind that though which I don't think the hotel would build over, and another street of surface parking next to the parking garage at 34th and Chestnut which I think Penn owns.

Yep, Penn owns the lot that runs along the north side of the 3300 block of Chestnut (next to a Penn parking garage and across Chestnut from the new college house currently under construction), and is planning to eventually build a mixed-use development there with retail on the ground floor:

http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/renew_the_vision/PennConnects-theme-5-past-and-future.pdf (see the upper right box on the third page)

[DIESELPOLO]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Very interesting indeed! Construction in two weeks?! On what?! Now that will be interesting to see. Bulletin building? New building at 30th and JFK/30th and Market? Redevelopment of the lowrise at 32nd and Market? Redevelopment of the Firestone site? New building on the parking lot at 30th and Chestnut? Tell us!!!!!

One would think you'd know, @Summer. Drexel is impressing me right now.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by DIESELPOLO

One would think you'd know, @Summer. Drexel is impressing me right now.

Don't talk to Drexel. May hear from any developers though that Drexel has partnered with. I'll try to dig down deeper.

[gttx]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Very interesting indeed! Construction in two weeks?! On what?! Now that will be interesting to see. Bulletin building? New building at 30th and JFK/30th and Market? Redevelopment of the lowrise at 32nd and Market? Redevelopment of the Firestone site? New building on the parking lot at 30th and Chestnut? Tell us!!!!!

It's just sloppy writing from a student newspaper. The innovation neighborhood isn't even planned in a detailed way - let alone ready to start construction in two weeks.

They are confusing the announcement of a design team for the 30th St rail yards project (look for some news this week...) for something bigger.

[Jelly Roll]

Council President Darrell Clarke today unveiled a plan to build 1,500 affordable housing units in gentrifying neighborhoods like Francisville, Point Breeze and Mantua by redeveloping city-owned vacant land or tax-delinquent properties.

One thousand of the units will be rentals and would take advantage of two underused financing tools, Clarke said: operational subsidies for affordable housing from the Philadelphia Housing Authority and a tax credit from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

The city would also need to issue a $100 million bond to be paid for by the Housing Trust Fund, which currently supports other programs.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityh...ousing-in-gentrifying-neighborhoods.html

[PhiLaw]

Originally Posted by Jelly Roll

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityh...ousing-in-gentrifying-neighborhoods.html

Here we go. I wonder where these low-income residents will come from? This demographic is waning in the neighborhoods proposed, so they must be trying to institute a reshuffle by bringing some in from other neighborhoods.

I'm not ipso facto against low income housing. But these neighborhoods don't have a need for them. North and Southwest Philly has more of a need. Clark wants to play God and create a human buffer against gentrification.

[josef]

Originally Posted by br323206

This lines up with my experience. Those that live in Conshy do so because they work there or in KOP and don't want a super long commute.

Those in Manayunk are mostly college students and just graduated that cannot afford to live in CC or even University City.

East Falls? I don't know any young professionals that live there, but I do know a couple in their 40s--but I guess that depends on your definition of young.

(I know this was five days ago but it's funny you guys forget that NJ exists. I take PATCO every day and the amount of people who get out at 15-16th & Locust is pretty huge. I personally know a guy who works at Comcast and lives in Jersey, and he knows a ton more who take the train from NJ in. I know most of NJ is a car-dominated hellscape, but I think at least a few of the towns around the speedline might get a small boost from this too. My friend's already trying to move closer to the station he uses. And Collingswood keeps building condos/apartments convenient to their station. Just something to keep in mind. The commute's a hell of a lot better than from a lot of further out PA suburbs, too. PATCO is generally far more reliable than regional rail, even lately.)

[Parkway]

If I was him I would sell everything inside of 19th from Fairmount to Diamond to raise money for this, those lots will fetch $50,000-$100,000. Then focus on building affordable housing around the soon to be demolished Blumberg towers. Clarke would then get to claim he is both pro-development and pro-working class plus he gets to vote pack.

[josef]

Originally Posted by Parkway

If I was him I would sell everything inside of 19th from Fairmount to Diamond to raise money for this, those lots will fetch $50,000-$100,000. Then focus on building affordable housing around the soon to be demolished Blumberg towers. Clarke would then get to claim he is both pro-development and pro-working class plus he gets to vote pack.

Isn't he also trying to run for mayor next year?

[AbortedWalrus]

Originally Posted by PhiLaw

Here we go. I wonder where these low-income residents will come from? This demographic is waning in the neighborhoods proposed, so they must be trying to institute a reshuffle by bringing some in from other neighborhoods.

I'm not ipso facto against low income housing. But these neighborhoods don't have a need for them. North and Southwest Philly has more of a need. Clark wants to play God and create a human buffer against gentrification.

I think for Francisville at least, by the time any affordable housing development would get built, say two years out, so much market rate development would have happened that the impact would be pretty low. Things are still moving at breakneck speed.

Anyway, as long as the developments themselves meet the goals of the neighborhood it should be fine. Those goals say that the developments should be mixed income, mixed use, dense, and transit oriented. If that's what Clarke wants to do (which I doubt it is) he won't receive much push back from residents.

[br323206]

Originally Posted by josef

(I know this was five days ago but it's funny you guys forget that NJ exists. I take PATCO every day and the amount of people who get out at 15-16th & Locust is pretty huge. I personally know a guy who works at Comcast and lives in Jersey, and he knows a ton more who take the train from NJ in. I know most of NJ is a car-dominated hellscape, but I think at least a few of the towns around the speedline might get a small boost from this too. My friend's already trying to move closer to the station he uses. And Collingswood keeps building condos/apartments convenient to their station. Just something to keep in mind. The commute's a hell of a lot better than from a lot of further out PA suburbs, too. PATCO is generally far more reliable than regional rail, even lately.)

My apologies to the fine people of New Jersey. Personally, I love Collingswood. If I were to make the suburban jump it would be at the top of my list. Great retail/restaurant mix, varied housing stock, nice parks, and very easy to get into the city.

[br323206]

Originally Posted by Parkway

If I was him I would sell everything inside of 19th from Fairmount to Diamond to raise money for this, those lots will fetch $50,000-$100,000. Then focus on building affordable housing around the soon to be demolished Blumberg towers. Clarke would then get to claim he is both pro-development and pro-working class plus he gets to vote pack.

The point of spreading affordable housing out is to avoid creating ghettos like we did with the Blumberg Towers in the first place. Concentrating poverty has proven to cause lots of problems.

[josef]

Originally Posted by br323206

My apologies to the fine people of New Jersey. Personally, I love Collingswood. If I were to make the suburban jump it would be at the top of my list. Great retail/restaurant mix, varied housing stock, nice parks, and very easy to get into the city.

Haha no worries. Just wanted to give an account of what I see on the ground re: high tech employees of Center City companies.

Collingswood does have it going on, which is basically why we chose here to move. If we aren't going to live in the city (which just wouldn't work for both of us), it's basically the only other option in Jersey, for our age and price range, at least.

[josef]

Originally Posted by br323206

The point of spreading affordable housing out is to avoid creating ghettos like we did with the Blumberg Towers in the first place. Concentrating poverty has proven to cause lots of problems.

I've been reading a lot about Camden and New Jersey cities in general lately (i.e., why do they all seem to suck) and it seems like this to be the case. Towns fought the state mandate to build affordable housing, or would pay Camden to take their responsibility to build it, so you create these communities where basically no one wants to go in a provide basic services, creating self-perpetuating problems. But the few times that towns have built it, it hasn't been anywhere near the problem that scared residents think it's going to be.

I can attest to this, even. The areas of affordable housing in Boston and Cambridge where I lived for 4 years were never a huge problem. Then again, MA knows how to address societal problems better than PA, which seems to only be in "defund and screw those people" mode. But, I think the premise is better than "hey lets throw them all in this one place that'll be horrible for generations". Just my perspective, though.

[Baconboy007]

Originally Posted by Jelly Roll

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityh...ousing-in-gentrifying-neighborhoods.html

They're not going to build butt fuggly things like these are they?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Philad...!1s0x89c6b7d8d4b54beb:0x89f514d88c3e58c1

Or these:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.930797,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4QnIBmvo09_NsFoo1n1a3g!2e0

Or these:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.924471,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4b_Q4Kva0Nj2c1ePch9bBw!2e0

Or these:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.966334,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sqTTSQchKkI9FH0bpm5tGFA!2e0

[Plokoon11]

^ Yeah but without those monstrosities we wouldn't be all won over by the good looking buildings right? haha